Geostatistocal and geographic information systems (GIS) applied to spatial distribution of wildfires in Portugual and in portuguese natura 2000 areas

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Abstract

Fire it is a natural element of the ecosystems, but with social and economical negative impacts. To analyse fire impacts on the landscape, Geostatistical and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques are often used. In this work we aim to identify with the mentioned tools, the spatial correlation and pattern of fire occurrences in Portugal and in Natura 2000 areas during the years of 2010 and 2011. The results showed that the number of fires was high in 2011, but the burned area was high in 2010. The spatial correlation and pattern were different and in 2010, the fires were more concentrated in the northwest part of Portugal, meanwhile in 2011, were majority observed in the north and more distributed across the territory. During the studied years, fire affected especially the Nature 2000 areas located in the north of Portugal. In the global context, the number of fires and burned area were not significant in Natura 2000 areas. However, in the surroundings of these areas, there is a high fire activity, that if carried out during the summer season and criminally, can represent a serious threat to nature management and conservation.